The standard singular possessive form of bus is bus’s. E.g., “The bus’s route was altered due to road construction.” However, the possessive form bus’ is also commonly found in British and American English. E.g., “The bus’ driver was experienced and friendly.”
The chart provides a helpful overview of the four forms of the word bus:
| Form | Example |
| Singular | Bus |
| Plural | Buses |
| Singular possessive: | Bus’s / Bus’ |
| Plural possessive | Buses’ |
The regular singular possessive is bus’s, although the alternative bus’ is also common.
Here are some examples of the different terms in context.
Singular: The school bus I took every morning was yellow.
Plural: The city operates several buses on this route.
Singular possessive: The bus’s engine had a strange noise.
Plural possessive: The buses’ schedules varied during holidays.
Furthermore, many people also use the alternative form of the singular possessive. As shown in this example:
- The bus’ windows were clean and allowed a clear view of the scenery.
However, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook both state that you should use bus’s as the singular possessive form of bus.
Perhaps you are still unsure how to use possessive forms of bus? If that is the case, please keep reading the rest of the article to learn more about the rules and see more examples of the various forms of the term bus.
Bus’
The term bus’ with no additional “s” is a singular possessive form of bus. However, the version bus’ is generally viewed as the least standard of the two forms.
Despite this perception, the term bus’ is more common than bus’s in British English and was more common in American English until the early 2000s.
- “The bus’ interior was clean and well-maintained.”
In everyday writing, whether you choose to use bus’ or bus’s is your choice.
However, in AP Style and Chicago Manual of Style, you should use bus’s instead because a bus is not a proper noun, so you do not omit the final “s.”
- The bus’s driver was punctual and courteous.
Bus’s
Bus’s is the most correct grammatical singular possessive form of bus.
It is also the version you should use for AP Style and the Chicago Manual of Style.
- The bus’s route passes through the scenic countryside.
You use the term bus’s to indicate something belongs to a bus. However, in many cases, people often use bus as an adjective or change the word order, which avoids using the possessive altogether.
As shown in these examples:
- The city bus schedule was convenient.
- The bus stop location was easy to find.
Buses
The term buses is the standard plural form of bus. Therefore, you use it to talk about several buses simultaneously.
You can specify the number of buses, for example:
- “The school district owns ten buses for student transportation.”
Also, you can refer to all buses in general or within a specific context.
For example:
- “Traveling by buses is an eco-friendly option.”
- “Tour buses are a popular choice for exploring the city.”
When you are referring to more than one bus, you should take care that the word order is not possessive. In these cases, you need to use the plural possessive form.
- “The buses’ routes were affected by the road closure.”